Oregon Public Broadcasting

Hundreds of people are stranded at Portland International Airport Monday, as carriers decide against flying in. Kristian Foden-Vencil reports.

The airport’s corridors are a crush of humanity. Some passengers have been living there for days. Carriers have donated blankets and pillows.

The Red Cross has also donated diapers and wipes to families with young children.

Kama Simonds of the Port of Portland says it’s not snow that’s the problem, all the runways are open. But some carriers are not flying into Portland because they don’t want to relive the ice storms of four years ago.

Kama Simonds: “In 2004 we saw a lot of ice and ice is pretty debilitating to airplanes and the airport. This storm we’re wrestling with the snow. And we do the best that we can to keep our airfield available for our customers and the carriers make their own decisions as to when and if they will fly in here.”

About 1500 flights were cancelled in 2004. Meaning carriers had dozens of planes standing idle on the tarmac of PDX for four days.